Category Archives: Purpose

National School Counseling Week…

11 Friday Feb 2022

Posted by in Actions, Amazing, Appreciation, Attention, Authentic, Counseling, Effective, Encouragement, Intentional, Kindness, Promotion, Purpose, Servant, Sincerity, Value

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This week, February 7-11, is National School Counseling Week. According to the American School Counselors Association, the emphasis is to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems. Well, I just happen to know a school counselor who fits that emphasis quite well.

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Let me introduce you to a school counselor I know. She is a school counselor with 21 years of experience. What she does day in and day out amazes me. Of all the things she does, the one that amazes me the most is that she takes an intentional interest in every student in the school building. Along with that, there are individual and small groups, peer leadership, helping with after-school clubs, scheduling, new student meetings, parent meetings, student plans, encouragement, etc… you get the idea…

I don’t really remember school counselors growing up. I do not remember one in elementary or middle school. If we had one, I did not know. We had one in high school, but all I thought he did was make out our student schedules. His name was Mr. Leonard. He and I talked about baseball cards a lot, and my senior year, he was our assistant baseball coach.

Anyway, as I think about what this school counselor does and her role as a school counselor, I can see her passion for promoting it. She works after hours at home and during the summers. So many things are behind the scenes. She is a staunch advocate for what the definition of a school counselor should be. Most importantly, she is for all students and their success.

I’m not sure about all the counselors out there, but I do know a good many. Those who are successful have a servant’s heart and a genuine concern for students’ social and emotional needs. And I think to myself, isn’t that what educators and all of education should also do?

Over time, I have seen many counselors who impact not only at the school but also in the community. In many ways, they are the unsung heroes of schools. Since this is National High School Counselors Week, tell your counselors thank you. I’m pretty sure they will appreciate it.

And by the way, for those who do not know the school counselor I talking about, it’s Heather, and I’m married to her, and she’s the counselor at Sumner Hill Junior High School in the Clinton Public School District. For those who know us, many say she is a great counselor because she lives a daily practicum of counseling me… and they are probably right. But, nonetheless… she’s a great school counselor.

Happy National High School Counselors Week to the school counselors who make a difference. The value you bring makes changes in many lives.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2022 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

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Challenges… They tell a story of who we are…

28 Friday Jan 2022

Posted by in Change, Consistency, COVID-19, Culture, Decisions, Leader, Leadership, Observation, Purpose, Value

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Challenges… Like them or not, our comfort zone rises to the occasion with them. Challenges are the one constant that cannot be avoided, and there is not a manual that even touches the surface of how to handle it all. What is important is learning how to handle those challenges. We either do that by trial and error or by learning from others. One key thought here is who are we learning from or should be learning from?

Every challenge we face is a pitfall or an opportunity. We either look like a genius or a goat (which does not mean “greatest of all time” in this context). Challenges make leaders make decisions. The one thing we cannot do is not make a decision when faced with a challenge.

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We are living in a time of society where “self-preservation” is up close and sometimes personal. Now, that does not go against the idea that we must do what is right by ourselves (we have to take care of ourselves), but… What are leaders doing to do right by others? Too often, we see leaders who are putting their own success before the success of others. The social and emotional effects within organizations are at a point that many leaders do not want to acknowledge. They see it, while at the same time hoping it is a mirage.

We are hit with challenges every day, and they come in all forms and fashions. How will you handle them? One aspect of this 3+ years of the COVID pandemic challenge I have seen thus far is that many leaders do not know how to lead. The flip side of that statement is very true also. Many leaders have shown what leadership should look like. As true as they are, the realization of both views can be seen by and in the organization’s people. It does not take long to see what “moods” people are in as it reflects the culture established by the leadership.

Great leaders have a gravitational pull. They are consistent and always keep their feet on the ground with gravity. You are either pulling others toward you or pushing them away regarding leadership. Challenges are a way of showing others how strong your pull is. No one likes leaders who float themselves around and allow others to do the same.

It will be interesting to see where leadership goes in the next few months. As much unknown that lies ahead, challenges will certainly be there. Let’s make sure our feet are where we want them when challenges are staring us in the face before we decide to stand firm on our leadership.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2022 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…

To Read or Not To Read?

07 Thursday Oct 2021

Posted by in Purpose, Reading, Standard, Useful

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For those of you who know me, you know I love to read. I do not really remember reading a whole lot as a child, but in 1986, Tom Clancy’s book, The Hunt for the Red October, was given to me by a friend of our family. That’s when, for some reason, I remember liking and wanting to read. I was a freshman in high school, and my parents would make me turn out the lights to go to sleep. The book fascinated me. From that point on, I’ve been an avid reader.

Sometimes, people gravitate toward “things” at different times in their life. I read in school because I had to. As a child, I can remember enjoying being read to, but I would not read “on my own.” Fast forward to now…

As an educator, I know the value of reading. I know how it helps people think, learn, be open to new ideas, etc. I know kindergarten and elementary schools promote reading to the highest levels. High schools, the same. However, what I do see, as a personal observation, is most students at the high school level do not read as much. Now, don’t get me wrong, they can read social media and everything else on that platform, but to just read to be reading, not so much. Trust me, I have asked my classes, and the majority say no. A few students even said that reading was so much “forced” on them in the early years of school that they just don’t enjoy reading anymore.

Diverse Elementary Children

Wow… and I thought reading was going out of style or something? Stanford University conducted a study on “This is your brain on Jane Austen” that actually shows how reading can stimulate the brain. If nothing else, reading can help you increase your knowledge in areas of interest. But… has school taken the fun out of reading? Are students reading for the purpose of testing, or are they reading because they want to; for the fun of it?

I guess what I’m thinking, is back to that same question that I keep asking, “What is school for?” I still believe, and it will be hard to change my mind, that school should equip a person to be a better functioning individual in society. I understand that schools must have standards, high standards, and I’m good with that. Why would we want low standards? Yes, those literary classics that must be read, and I even enjoyed a few of them. However, at what point does reading become more of a chore for students instead of desire in them to read?

I realize there is a fine line here. Every person needs to know how to read. Reading does open the world to our minds. Mark Twain is credited for saying, “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read,” and Thomas Jefferson said, “I cannot live without books.” Either way, we all function better when we read…

Here are a few stats from Literacy Project…¹
Forty-five million Americans are functionally illiterate and can’t read above a fifth-grade level.
Fifty percent of adults can’t read a book written at an eighth-grade level.
Three out of four adults on welfare can’t read.
One in four children in America grow up without learning how to read.

These stats show the importance of learning how to read, and schooling is a vital part of that. At the same time, we must remember that when we force an issue, people can become hesitant. As we continue to educate, let’s still encourage reading. You never know when someone will gravitate toward liking it for the first time or again.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2021 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on…

Twitter @thebookchamber

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¹ Source: https://literacyproj.org/2019/02/14/30-key-child-literacy-stats-parents-need-to-be-aware-of/

A text from my mom and the thought of influence…

08 Wednesday Sep 2021

Posted by in Character, Compassion, Decisions, Encouragement, Essence, Expectations, Future, Influence, Inspiration, Kindness, Purpose, Relationships, Teachers, Value

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This past Saturday, Heather and I were on the patio drinking coffee, and I get a text from my mom asking me to read something on Facebook. For some reason, I could not open the link (technical difficulties), so I call mom and tell her. Well, one thing led to another, and she ends up reading me the below post. For those who know my mom, she is not one who always shares her feelings. But, she was excited about this. Mom stated it was one of the best things she has read of late and thought about us since we are teachers and the value of influence we have. 

As she was reading it to me, I looked it up online and actually found the post. What was interesting, it was posted on my 7th grade English teacher’s page. The story, as far as I can tell, has an unknown source. By nature, I try to be conscientious about my blogs and wanting them to be “original thoughts,” but I believe this post is worth reading…

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The Teacher and the Stolen Watch

AN OLD MAN MEETS A YOUNG MAN who asks;
“Do you remember me?” 

And the old man says no.  Then the young man tells him he was his student. And the teacher asks:
“What do you do, what do you do in life?”

The young man answers:
“Well, I became a teacher.”
“Ah, how good, like me?” Asks the old man.
“Well, yes.  In fact, I became a teacher because you inspired me to be like you.”

The old man, curious, asks the young man at what time he decided to become a teacher.  And the young man tells him the following story:
“One day, a friend of mine, also a student, came in with a nice new watch, and I decided I wanted it and I stole it, I took it out of his pocket.

Shortly after, my friend noticed his missing watch and immediately complained to our teacher, who was you. Then you went to the class:
“This student's watch was stolen during classes today.  Whoever stole it, please return it.”

I didn't give it back because I didn't want to.  Then you closed the door and told us all to get up and you were going to search our pockets one by one until the watch was found.  But you told us to close our eyes, because you would only look for his watch if we all had our eyes closed.

So we did, and you went from pocket to pocket, and when you went through my pocket, you found the watch and took it.  You kept searching everyone's pockets, and when you were done you said:
“Open your eyes. We have the watch.”

You didn't tell me and you never mentioned the episode. You never said who stole the watch either.  That day you saved my dignity forever.  It was the most shameful day of my life.

But this is also the day my dignity was saved and I decided not to become a thief, a bad person, etc. You never said anything, nor even scold me or took me aside to give me a moral lesson, I received your message clearly.

And thanks to you, I understood what a real educator needs to do.  Do you remember this episode, professor?

And the professor answers:
“I remember the situation, the stolen watch, which I was looking for in everyone’s pocket, but I didn't remember you, because I also closed my eyes while looking.”

This is the essence of teaching:
“If to correct you must humiliate; you don't know how to teach "

Credit - Unknown

As I read this again, I agree; it is pretty good. As educators, we really never know the power of our influence. Just like in the story, there will be plenty of students we cannot remember – if you teach long enough, it will happen. However, little things matter. One little thing here or there. The things we do or say that inspire. How we communicate and make others feel. Showing students that there is a better way. You never know, we might just save their dignity. You might not remember them, but they will remember you. Yes, to teach is to educate. But I will add this to the last line of the story – To influence and inspire… An essence of teaching that can only be measured with time. 

Who will you influence and inspire today? 

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2021 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on…

Twitter @thebookchamber

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…